Tear strip collar can



May 18, 1937;, J. LA THRAP 2,080,826. TEAR STRIP COLLAR CAN Filed A 16, 1935 Q." II 'IIfIlTil-ffijj ,0 z y I v I Q 1/ 12 I2 12 /a 5: v.5. /3 F 7 avg /7\ i llllllllllm 2/ INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEY.

. I 29 I os w zm Patented May 1s 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE man. s'rmr coma can Lloyd J. Lathrap, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Pacific Can Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Application August 16. 1935, Serial No; 36,526

3 Claims. (01. 220-54) This invention relates to tear-strip cans of the type in which a collar or neck member is positioned in the upper end of the can body to provide a seat for a can endcover or the like, the invention being particularly directed to an improved form of collar member and the method of securing same in the upper end of the can body.

Since the purpose of providing such neck member is to provide a tear-strip can which is not substantially decreased in height upon opening the can and to provide a seat upon which the cover may be seated for closing the can after it has once been opened, a scored strip is provided adjacent the end of the can body in which the collar is positioned, said strip being provided with a tongue which may be engaged by a key whereby the scored strip may be torn or rippedfrom the can body by winding the scored strip upon the key. This operation completely separates the can top or closure member from the remaining portion of the can body. The upper end of the collar member which is secured within the can becomes exposed by removal of the scored portion of the can and as such forms a seat and a retaining member upon which the reclosure cover may be seated for again releasably closing the can. Since the collar is positioned within the can body it is of slightly lesser diameter than the portion of the can body which is removed with the cover so that there is a slidable fit between the reclosure cover and the collar member when the tear strip is removed, and thereby the can may be reclosed and reopened at will. There are numerous types of reclosure cans now known in the art, some of which are opened to one or'more objections that the collar is not secured in the can against movement in both directions and in many of the cans of this type it is necessary to form a bead at the inner edge of the collar to 4 engage within a groove of an outwardly turned bead in the can body. Such collars require the operation of forming an outwardly formed bead in the can body, the formation of a bead inthe inner end of the collar and the operation of rolling the bead into the groove after the collar is positioned in the can. This type of collar has the objection that the collar may be pressed into the can when any considerable weight is placed on top of the collar since the groove of the bead in the can body is usually considerably larger than the head at the inner end of the collar. This objection is particularly present where collars are formed of a strip of material bent annularly with' vide a reclosure can provided with a tear strip and a collar member which may be readily inserted, applied and secured in one end of the can; to provide a reclosure can having an internal collar that definitely seats upon a ledge which. uniformly fixes the distance that the col- .lar is to be inserted; to provide in a reclosure can an internal collar which may be secured within the can body against movement in either direction aiter it is secured; to provide in a reclosure can a collar member which may be snapped into place and thereby secured against movement in either direction, and to generally improve upon reclosure tear-strip cans and means for securing a collar member therein. I 15 With the foregoing and other objects in view, all of which will be more apparent as this description proceeds, the invention is exemplified in one form in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and details of construction of the apparatus may be resorted to within the scope of 25 the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

To more clearly comprehend the invention, reference is directed to the accompanying drawing wherein:--

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a can including the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on line II-II or Fig. 1. 35

Fig. 3 is a .ragmentary vertical section of a can body showing removability of reclosure cover after removal of tear-strip.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail in perspective of collar member.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged section in detail of the collar shown in Fig. l inserted with a can body.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an enlarged modifled form of collar member. v.

. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section showin the manner of seating the collar of Fig. 6 within a can body. 1

Referring to the drawing wherein like characters of reference illustrate corresponding parts 50 in the several views, In indicates generally a tubular member which is formed of a body blank which is turned about a horn and lock seamed along its side as at H so, as to provide a can body. The can body is provided at one end with 66 a bottom l2 which may be secured thereto in any well-known manner. .The upper end of the can body is flanged outwardly as at l3 to receive a cover member l4, which is prepared for double seaming to the can body as at IS. The side wall l6 of the tubular can body has spaced'score lines from the end being a matter of selection, de-

pending on whether the cover is to be removed permanently or whether it is desired to provide a cover which may have a flange to engage a collar for reclosure purposes. The scored portion is provided with a tongue l8 for engagement in the slot IQ of a key 20 which upon being turned rips the tear-strip 2| from the can body thus severing the cover 14 and the portion 2| from the remainder of the can body. Below the tearstrip and adjacent thereto the can .body is provided with an inturned annullar bead 22. In-

teriorly of the can body there is provided an annular collar 23 beaded at its outer edge as at 24 and having a face portion 25 in close slidable -flt with that portion of the inner face of the can body wall which lies between the upper edge of the groove 22 and the adjacent end of the can body, and thereby the collar overlies that portion of the can body which is included in the tear-strip 2|. The collar at its lower or inner end is provided with a radially inturned flange 26, this radially inturned flange being adapted for engaging the inturned bead 22 at both the upper and lower faces thereof so as to limit the distance that the collar may be inserted into the can and also to prevent the collar from being pulled out of the can. The radially inturned flange 26 may be formed in either of the types illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 or Figs. 6 and 7. In Fig. 4 the inturned flange 26 is formed inwardly and then downwardly, so that its diameter at its extreme lower or inner portion 21 is of lesser diameter than the internal diameter of the peak portion of the bead 22. This construction permits the collar to be inserted so that the lower or inner edge 28 of the face 25 rests upon the upper ledge of the bead 22 and the down-turned portion of the flange will pass the peak of the inturned groove 22 so that by a separate operation the said down-turned portion of the collar may be rolled or spun into contact with the lower face of the inturned bead as at 29.

In the modification of the collar shown in Figs; 6 and 7 the inturned flange 26 is first turned radially inwardly and then retroverted upon itself slightly radially outwardly so as to form in vertical cross-section what may be termed a hook 330 at its end portion. In this exemplification the diameter of the collar at the end of hook 30 is slightly in excess of the diameter at the peak of the inner face of the inward groove '22 of the can body but is not retroverted sumciently to reach the vertical plane of the collar wall of the face 25. Upon pressure upon the collar for the purpose of inserting it in the can, the hook 30, by virtue of a slight resiliency in the material of which the collar is formed, will spring past the peak of the bead and automatically lock itself on the under side of said bead when the lower edge 28 of the face 25 is seated upon the upper faceof the bead.

In practical use, it will be realized that both upon the insertion of the collar and in the practical use of the can-after it has been once opened, the stresses that may be put upon the collar are normally greater downwardly or against the upper face of the inturned bead, since this upper face receives the thrust of inserting the collar and also receives any weight which may be placed upon the collar after the can has been opened, whereas, the engagement of the inturned flange 26 against the lower or under face of the bead 22 need ordinarily be only sufficient to prevent the inadvertent pulling of the collar away from the can when removing the cover, which, because of the snug slidable fit between the face 25 and the can body, has a releasable slidable flt with the collar, with merely sufficient frictional grip to prevent its casual or inadvertent removal. For these reasons the grip on the lower face of the collar by the inturned flange 26 does not have to be exceptionally tight, although it should be suffic-ientlytight to firmly hold the collar in place both against removal outwardly and against rotation or looseness within the can.

The collar may be of the jointless type spun from a single sheet of metal as'illustrated and described in Patent No. 1,985,536, granted December 25, 1934, and such a collar is illustrated in Fig. 6; or the collar may be of the jointed type which is well-known in the art comprising an annularly bent band of metal with the ends lockseamed as at 3|.

When employing the type of inturned flange 26 as illustrated and described with relation to Fig. 6 wherein the flange springs by the inturned bead and automatically locks thereunder, it is pre- 'ferred to use the jointless type of collar as illustrated in Fig. 6.

With the foregoing description, it is believed that the operation of the structure may be made very brief since collared tear-strip cans are old and well-known in the art. Briefly, upon forming the can body and fixedly securing the collar therein as hereinabove described, assuming the bottom l2 and top H have been seamed to the can body, the tear-strip 2| may be removed by winding upon the key 20, whereupon the cover |4 becomes detached from the can body, Preferably with a remaining down flange 2| if the can is of the reclosure type. Upon the removal of the tear-strip it is obvious that the top 2| and its flange may be removed from the collar and replaced thereupon at will, since the contact between thecollar and the flange 2| of the cover is a snug slidable fit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. A can comprising a tubular body portion, said'body having spaced scored lines adjacent one end to provide a tear-strip adapted for removal to open the can after a closure cover has beensecured to the can body, said can body having a radially inward bead adjacent the scored strip in the direction of the opposite end of the body, a collar member adapted for insertion into the can body through the opening of the end of the body to which the tear-strip is more nearly adjacent, said collar being disposed in overlying relation to the tear-strip interiorly 0f the can body and extending beyond the scored strip portion in both directions axially of the can body, said collar having a face the lower portion of which is adapted for seating upon the upper side of said bead and said collar having at its inner end a radially inward flange of alower portion of the face OI the collar is seated on the upper side of the bead, said flange being turned radially inwardly and downwardly from the face ofthe collar and retrovertedradially outwardly upon itself' providing a terminal portion the diameter of which is less than the maximum diameter of the inner face of the wall of the can body and greater than the minimum diameter of the inward head of thecan body.

2. A can comprising a tubular body portion, said body having spaced scored lines adjacent one end to provide a tear-strip adapted for removal to open the can after a closure cover has been secured to the can body, saidcan body having a radially inward bead adjacent the scored strip in the direction of the opposite end of the body, a collar member adapted for insertion into the can body through the opening of the end of adjacent, said collar being disposed in overlying relation to the tear-strip interiorly of the can body and extending beyond the scored strip portion in both directions axially of the can body, Said collar having a face the lower portion of which is adapted for seating upon the upper sideof said bead, said face being of a length substantially equal to the dimension axially of the can body from the upper edge of the inward bead to the nearer end of the can body and said collar having at its inner end a radially inward and downward flange of a length 'suflicient to extend beyond the most inwardly part of the said body having spaced scored lines adjacent one end to provide a tear-strip adapted for removal to open the can after a closure cover has been secured to the can body, said can body having a radially inward bead adjacent the scored strip in the direction-of the opposite end of the body, a jointless collar member adapted for insertion into the can body through the opening of the end of the body to which the tear-strip is more nearly adjacent, said collar being disposed in overlying relation to the tear-strip interiorly of the can body and extending beyond the scored strip portion in both directions axially of the can body, said collar having a face the lower portion of which is adapted for seating upon the upper side of said bead, and said collar having at its inner end a flange formed radially inwardly and downwardly and then radially outwardly and of a length suflicient to extend downwardly beyond the most inwardly part of the bead and adapted for engaging the under side of the bead when the said lower portion of the face of the collar is seated on the upper side of the bead, said flange terminating short of contact with the can body wall at the under side of said bead.

LLOYD J. LATHRAP. 

